Last Supper Flashcards
she is getting good and ready to renounce
‘renounce’ suggests that she is getting ready to abandon her boyfriend.
the narrative tone of the sentence suggests that this abandonment was forseeable
sweet flesh
positive connotations of ‘sweet’ suggest that she enjoyed the physical/sexual side of the relationship
negative connotations of ‘flesh’ suggest that she never really felt any emotional connection towards him
not just for lent. for / ever
lent is a period of time where you give up something you love usually for 40 days
she is stating here that the end of the relationship is permanent and that there is no going back
biblical reference to lent
after all didn’t they always eat together rather more than rather well?
suggest relationship provided a lot of low-level pleasures rather than anything profound or long-lasting
tearing foliage
angry and violent connotations of ‘tearing’ show anger towards her partner
the table she’s made ( and oh yes now will have to lie on)
play on ‘you’ve made your bed now you have to lie in it’
suggests her decision is made and she will have to face the consequences
this continues the idea of permanence
parenthesis of ‘(and oh yes now will have to lie on)’ is a knowing aside, suggesting having to live with the implications/consequences of decisions made.
cooked goose
play on ‘his goose is cooked’
shows that his fate is sealed
he could be depended on to bring the bottle
suggest that he was generally unreliable unless it was something frivolous like alcohol
betrayal with a kiss
biblical reference to Judas kissing Jesus to show the romans it was Jesus
he is being compared to Judas which suggests he is treacherous and unfaithful
leftover hash
just as you fling together a hash - cheap, fast but far from classy meal
so too has the breakup sparked conversation between her friends
when those three met again
reference to Macbeth’s witches
suggests plotting, sisterhood and continually toying with/ confusing men
render from the bones
Just as boiling a carcass until all the meat and flavour has been extracted, the women will get every possible topic of conversation from the relationship
something substantial, something extra tasty if not elegant
Echoes the reference to leftover hash- the conversation will be crude and enjoyable but not sophisticated or refined
cackling around the cauldron
Back to Macbeth. Also could be a general comparison to witches suggesting the women are
heartless and cruel
spitting out the gristlier bits
of his giblets
Talking (‘spitting’) about the worst things the man has done ‘gristlier bits of his giblets’
gnawing on the knucklebone
Persistent, lengthy and far from polite way to get every last bit of meat/enjoyment from the
bone/conversation
petit -gout mouthfuls of reported speech
Enjoying everything discussing everything the man has said like
enjoying small flavoursome portions of food - petit-gouts’
That’s rich!
Dual meaning: ‘rich’ enjoyable but hard to stomach like rich
food; and ‘That’s rich’ meaning something is outrageous, ironic or hypocritical
munching the lies, fat and sizzling as sausages.
Repeated ‘s’ sound (sibilance) sounds like sizzling sausages. Also creates a snake-like tone of menace. ‘Sausage’ could be seen as a crude phallic reference. By ‘munching the lies’ they are emasculating the man
suggests the women take delight in their character assassination/their spreading of lies and rumours.
‘last treat’
introduces the religious imagery linked to the Last Supper and the idea of betrayal.
‘ tearing foliage, scrambling
the salad’
violence of the language echoes the anger she now feels towards him.
‘silverware’
continues reference to the Last Supper with the price of betrayal.
‘gorged on truth’
suggests the self-satisfaction they feel in revealing the flaws of the ex-partner.
‘preening (like corbies)’
suggests a sense of their superiority/smugness.
corbies’
friends who have feasted on the ‘dead relationship’ compared to crows who eat carrion.
‘go hunting again’
suggests the predatory nature of the group.
